Baguio cops seek locks in drains vs robberies

BAGUIO CITY—Police have revived a proposal to secure the American-built drain tunnels and the new sewage lines here, following the arrest of three men who allegedly used them to break into two pawnshops on Christmas Day.

Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez, Cordillera police director, said the police need to have access to the tunnels for periodic inspection, a task it began in 2012 after a series of burglaries in downtown Baguio.

Three suspects are being investigated for the attempted robbery of two pawnshops on Harrison Road near Burnham Park here, Nerez said.

Requinio Dacmeg, a resident of Sagada town in Mt. Province, Randy Pelkeng and James Yayak, both of La Trinidad town in Benguet province, are being questioned for the break-ins and a P50-million pawnshop robbery in Isabela province, Nerez said.

Police said the suspects appeared to have entered the drains through a discharge tunnel near the Baguio City public market and made their way to the tunnels beneath the pawnshops.

The pawnshop owners discovered holes dug through their floors on Dec. 26, but reported that none of their stored jewelry and other items were taken.

The drainage tunnels were developed when the American colonial government designed and built Baguio City in the early 1900s, city records showed.

The tunnels vary in size, but certain outlets are wide enough for a vehicle to fit in, said Brigitte Ancheta, a government engineer who supervises the repairs of the drains.

Nerez said he has proposed that police be permitted to hold keys to locks that seal the tunnels to allow policemen to routinely check the facilities.

“The police can respond quickly if we discover that a tunnel portal had been opened,” he said.

He said Dacmeg, Pelkeng and Yayak were also arrested for other crimes.

Dacmeg was arrested by the Sagada police on Jan. 1 at a hospital in his hometown, where he was recuperating from a bullet wound. He was the subject of three arrest warrants for robbery and the possession of unlicensed firearms, Nerez said.

Pelkeng and Yayak were arrested by the police in Sta. Cruz district in Manila. Pelkeng is facing a robbery charge in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province while Yayak has an arrest warrant for a robbery case in Roxas City in Capiz province. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon